Why the royal delivery wasn't like yours

While high-profile pregnancies and deliveries seem to be a perpetual favorite of entertainment news outlets, few new arrivals have been surrounded by the excitement and anticipation as that of the Royal baby. There are many facets of the labor and delivery process that were different for the Duchess of Cambridge than that of the average woman; these are 10 of the ways that the royal delivery was far different than the ones that most new moms experience.

Back-Door Entrance – Some laboring women may find themselves coming in through the wrong entrance due to a frazzled partner and general confusion, but Duchess Kate was brought into the same high-end Paddington Hospital where her husband, Prince William, was born through a back entrance to reduce media scrutiny and maintain a modicum of privacy through such a personal time.

All-Natural Labor – While there are plenty of average women who choose to give birth free of chemical pain relief and with minimal interventions, it’s certainly not the norm for most celebrity pregnancies. The Duchess of Windsor labored for 11 hours to birth the future king, and chose to do so naturally, with no pain medications administered throughout the delivery.

Multiple Midwives – Most women have a single doctor or midwife, along with a small team of assisting nurses on hand for their big day. Duchess Kate was attended to by a team of four midwives, two medics and the Queen’s former gynecologist for the event.

Delivery Fake-Out Stunts – Most new parents aren’t imitated by professional lookalikes days before they actually become new parents, but that was just the case for Prince William and Duchess Kate. The Sun, the largest-selling paper in the United Kingdom, mounted a prank that served to increase the media frenzy surrounding the Royal birth by sending two lookalikes pretending to be Kate and Wills to a local hospital.

Gun Salute – Very few deliveries end with a 41 gun salute, but that was part of the birth plan for the Royal couple as they prepared to welcome their bundle of joy to monarchy. The Royal salute took place to mark the exciting occasion, something that everyday babies certainly can’t boast.

Helicopter Transportation Plans – Most fathers-to-be are in charge of driving a laboring mom to the hospital and seeing to the parking of the car, but Prince William was scheduled to be on duty in North Wales with the RAF in the days surrounding Duchess Kate’s due date. Just in case he was away from London, a plan for emergency transport to Paddington Hospital by helicopter was in place.

Palace Birth Announcement – The culmination of labor is delivery, followed by a birth announcement. The birth of the Royal baby was unlike that of others born around the world that day, due to the fact that it was announced on an easel in Buckingham Palace, the seat of the British Royalty.

Social Media Blackout – In today’s society, Facebook and Twitter are often the first place new parents turn to in order to send a mass update of their new status as parents. No official Twitter updates went out when Prince George was born. Instead, his birth was first announced at the Palace itself and via the mainstream media.

Champagne Celebrations – One of the services offered in the posh Lindo wing of the Paddington Hospital, which is where Duchess Kate gave birth, is a full wine list in order to help new parents and family members celebrate the birth of their little ones. Few babies are welcomed into the world with a hospital-sponsored and provided tipple!

Public Praise of Her Post-Delivery Body – When an everyday woman gives birth, it’s expected she’ll still have a bit of a bump when she leaves the hospital, but it’s not something people talk about, publically anyways. When the first photographs of the Royal couple were released with their new baby, the Internet was full of supportive posts, praising the princess for being real and not hiding her postpartum belly under a frumpy frock.